Stash Needle Art Lounge

My husband and I are pretty hard-core collectors – you name it, we collect it! Together we form one collecting super-monster that rampages through thrift shops antique malls, auctions, yard sales, and online ads as if we have all the room in the world store our sweet finds.

This spells Trouble (note the capital “T”) and now we have to thin the ranks of our rad stuff so that we can enjoy our home without ending up on an episode of Hoarders. Hyperbole? Probably but what is for sure is that our yard sales tend to completely kick ass.

Our latest yard sale is being held just outside the doors of STASH on may 25th, from 9 am to 5 pm, rain or shine! We have LP’s, vintage kitchenwares, housewares, books, magazines, curios, and craft supplies.  What else? Electronics, radios, lamps, chairs, and any other poor object that our gaze falls upon and doesn’t make the cut.  And then some other great stuff too, that we simply haven’t even thought of yet.

Our yard sale is a part of the Inglewood Parade of Garage Sales happening on the same day, and we will be giving out free maps to all of the other treasure troves in the hood! So pop by STASH, check out our sale, and then keep on hunting for more finds throughout Inglewood!

We hope to see you there.

How do you shop for a knitter? To non-knitters, knitting appears to be a mysterious, cryptic, and slightly magical hobby; one that involves using long, strange, wand-like sticks to transform squishy yarns into wearable works of art. While every woman loves to have an air of mystery about her, she also likes to get fun stuff for the holidays.

So here is STASH’s guide to gifts to give knitters!

Pick # 4- Give knitting experiences. Normally I don’t advocate giving gift certificates and the only reason that this is on the list is because when a knitter gets a gift certificate for a yarn shop, they are also essentially getting permission to treat themselves to yarns, classes, and other goodies without any worry about cost. They might pick out something to knit for themselves and not give it away!  They might learn how to knit a mitten! That, my friends, is a gift of love.

Pick # 3 – Super nice, squishy yarns. Too vague? If you ever have the chance, take a look at what your knitting friend is working on, and take note of how thick or thin it is, what colour, or any other interesting aspect. if you really want to Nancy Drew it up, dig into their knitting bag when they are not looking and take a pic of the label! Bring your sleuthy info with you to a yarn shop and the staff can then help you really crack the case of “The Knitter who needs More Wool”.

Pick # 2 – Woolygig. Also known as yarn holder, ball holder, or other succinct but bland names, the woolygig is a lovely hand made item to keep a knitter’s yarn from whipping around the floor, under the couch, around chair legs, or other bizarre, tangled configurations while knitting. All that they do is place their ball of wool on the spindle and then the spindle of wool turns as the knitter pulls on it. A newer knitting accessory, many knitters have yet to even discover this gem and you will truly surprise them!

Pick # 1 – Swift & ball winder. This is number one for personal reasons. I got my first ball winder and swift as a Christmas gift and they are cherished tools in my knitting life. Swifts and ball winders are used to transform a skein of yarn into a knit-able ball in mere minutes. They are ridiculously fun to use, they save so much time, yet knitters rarely buy them for themselves. However, when a knitter gets a swift and winder they sort of loose their minds with joy.

Sometimes a gal just needs a a pair of legwarmers – maybe it’s for her Jazzercise class, maybe she want’s to look rad at the roller derby, maybe she is an Aquarian with cold limbs and weak ankles…

Whatever the reason,  it is great to have a trusty pair of leg warmers!

Now a true modern woman does not always have time to knit up a sweet set of legwarmers right when she needs them. Sometimes a lady doesn’t feel like knitting a pair.  Sometimes it can even be a legwarmer emergency! In such a case, what’s a gal to do?

Here is what you do:

1. Go to your closet and find one sweater that you have rejected. There is one there, I guarantee it! Stop living in clothing denial and accept that you may never find the spare button you lost, or that you never quite liked that colour. Take that rejected sweater out of the closet and give it a new life! Avoid baggy sweaters, cause they usually lead to baggy leg warmers (unless that’s the look you’re goin’ fo’).
2. You can even try wiggling your foot into the wrist end of the sleeve of your potential sacrificial sweater to get an idea of how it will look when cut.
3. Get your rotary cutter and chop off the sleeves. Give’r! Butcher that sweater. Make that sweater earn it’s keep! Your sweater sleeves will thank you for their new found freedom from their torso oppressors! Scissors can be used for this part instead of a rotary cutter but they don’t do as nice a job.
4. Bam! That’s it! Put on those leg warmers.

If you are rotary cutter-less, you are welcome to visit STASH and use our’s for free to make your leg warmers! Heck, bring a few sweaters and make a bunch.

While walking down leave-covered pathways under a crisp blue sky is romantic and relaxing, having cold hands during your adventure is not. Mittens and gloves have their place but in the early fall they can be overkill. Putting them on, taking them off, putting them on, taking them off, dropping them, squishing them into our pockets… it’s a racket I tell you! Instead, I like to opt for the fingerless mitten.

Why fingerless mittens rock in the fall:

1. They are smartphone friendly! Need to check your messages? Not a prob! Pinning your location on Foursquare? It’s a cinch!
2. You can take a photo quickly! Cameras in every shape and form rely on our digits to adjust settings and to even simply snap a shot
3. You can flip the bird! Bicycling down the road and getting nearly run over by a goon who doesn’t know how to share the road sometimes calls for extreme actions that we do not discuss with our mother. Nuff said.
4. Tie that shoelace! While it is romantic to have your man bend down on one knee and tie it for you, sometimes he’s not around – and asking a stranger to do it is just plain ole’ weird.
5. Eating jellybeans is a snap. Or almonds. Or chocolate covered grasshoppers. Whatever floats your boat, it’s easier with fingerless mittens!

Need I say more? Pop by STASH and we will give you a free pattern for you to knit your own fingerless mittens with Noro yarn (shown in picture) or any other yummy DK weight yarn! Keep on craftin’ on!

Okay, I have bring this up… after watching The Game of Thrones in a marathon tv-binge session that was neither healthy or productive, I do not recall seeing a single piece of knitwear on anyone. Not. A. Soul.

Believe me, I looked, because I can be one of those geeky fans who replicates knitwear from my favourite sci-fi movies (it’s amazing how revealing this post is quickly becoming). My first obsession was with the original Doctor Who scarf . There is an entire book of Harry Potter knitwear patterns available. Approximately three minutes after Hunger Games was published there were knitted Mockingjay pin patterns flooding fanblogs across the land.

Before anyone emails me, I need to let you know that I get it. I get it! The Stark family and all of the big players in the series are power people who are warriors, and warriors are also hunters (or hang around with hunters or can order others to hunt for them) and these  tough as nails ruthless survivors are not going to debase their elevated life position by modelling some wimpy knits made from sad little sheep who spend their entire lives being led by others. Jon Snow is not a sheep. He is a warrior. He also looks mighty cold whenever he leans over the wall for a glimpse at the horrors below.

But people, Winter is Coming. Isn’t that all about being prepared? Wool is a harvestable crop like anything else and if they want to survive years of winter then shouldn’t they be stockpiling yarn to swath their pitiful winter-borm babies so that they will get though this strange dysfunctional season schedule? It takes a lot less energy to knit a sweater by the fire than it does to trudge through thee third year of winter to hunt a starving. mangy animal for its fur coat.

Jon needs a toque for his pretty little head, so I recommend this awesome freee pattern from Sweet Fiber Designs, but in black. Of course.

Besides, who has ever heard of fur socks? 

Like a magpie, I am drawn to shiny, clever things. Whether it’s chrome on a vintage car or a cute Christmas ornament, there’s nothing like a little bling in your life.

So STASH is having a Stella & Dot Trunk Show! To complement the bling of their pretty baubles, we are going to serve up a bit of bubbly champagne, yummy morsels of chocolate, and have a few wicked awesome door prizes to boot.

Why should you pop by this fun event?  Aside from the the fact that Stella & Dot  rocks, anyone who comes to our Trunk Show can enter to win a STASH Class Gift Certificate!  Also, if you RSVP and bring a friend who is new to STASH or Stella then you will both be entered to win a piece of Stella & Dot jewelry.

Because we love the contrast of a great set of earrings against the texture of yarn, if you bring your knitting or crochet project you will also get  to choose a ball of yummy yarn from our  Party Pile for FREE.

If you are tempted by all of this awesome party goodness then feel free to RSVP on our Facebook event page, or even just show up if you are in the neighbourhood. We would love to see you there!

STASH picks from Stella: On the Geneve Lace ring, Garbo Link bracelet

What:       STASH’s Stella & Dot Trunk Party, a free event with nibbles, prizes, & free yarn!

When:      Friday, September 21st, from 7 to 10 pm

How:        Show up, or, if possible, please RSVP on Facebook!